


You Light Up My Life

by im_the_king_of_the_ocean



Series: Royalty/Bodyguard AU [5]
Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Horseback Riding, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-16
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:14:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25941175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/im_the_king_of_the_ocean/pseuds/im_the_king_of_the_ocean
Summary: While on a diplomatic visit between kingdoms, Princess Penny and her bodyguard, Ruby, visit the fireflies together.
Relationships: Penny Polendina/Ruby Rose
Series: Royalty/Bodyguard AU [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1691998
Comments: 1
Kudos: 29





	You Light Up My Life

A pleasant summer’s breeze blows Penny’s curls away from her face.The princess from the north is in awe of how much more mild the weather here in Vale is than back home.Her cloak, sewn from a lighter fabric than all her heavy wool and fur ones made to withstand Solitas’s cold, is enough to keep her warm even during sunset, with night beginning to cool the air.

“Your royal highness?Might I inquire what you are doing out at such a late hour as this?”

Penny jumps.“Um, uh, nothing?”Her voice squeaks in a way not befitting a royal.She tries not to wince.“Nothing, Stablemaster Port,” she tells the gray-haired man with one of the largest mustaches she’s ever seen, hesitates, and then hastily adds, “sir.”

Do Vale royal staff have a specific way to be addressed they prefer in polite conversation?Back home in Atlas, Penny had to memorize all the proper terminology for each and every different ranking staff member at a young age.It was considered a grave insult if the Crown Princess herself addressed someone incorrectly.

Before Penny can fully start worrying over whether or not she’s insulted Stablemaster Port by calling him simply “sir,” loud hoofbeats approach them.They briefly slow when they reach the princess and the stablemaster.Penny feels a hand close around the hood of her cloak.She’s yanked off her feet and pulled expertly into the saddle.She would panic, but there is only one person who would do such a thing.Penny trusts her implicitly.

“Ruby Rose!That is no way to handle a royal!”Port shouts after them.

“You aren’t my teacher anymore, old man!”Ruby calls over her shoulder with a laugh.Her arms wrapped securely around Penny, she pushes the princess’s dapple gray mare into a canter.Port yells something else, but Penny doesn’t catch his words over the wind.

Once they’re safely away from the stables, Ruby slows the mare.She stops at the entrance to the riding trail they picked earlier, dismounts, and retrieves her own steed from where she hid the blood bay behind some shrubbery before doubling back to retrieve Penny and her horse.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” From still in the saddle, Penny admonishes her bodyguard.“He’s going to get us in trouble.”

Ruby retorts.“No, he’s not.”She swings up into her own saddle.Her horse snorts his protest. “Port owes me.”

“He owes you?”Penny repeats incredulously.She nudges her mare forward to stand by Ruby’s.“What, pray tell, does he owe you that he won’t go telling on us for behaving in such a manner?”

“Oh, come on!”Ruby pouts.“Don’t get all princessy on me now.This was _your_ idea!”

Penny grins.“ _My_ idea was to go on a pleasant evening ride.”She pauses dramatically.“Not that tomfoolery.”

Ruby sticks out her tongue at her.Penny can’t help but giggle.She loves this.So much.Back home, Ruby wouldn’t dare pulling off such a stunt like she had.The pressures of being a Royal Bodyguard weigh on her too much.Penny knows they do.Usually, such a position is reserved for a highly regarded lord’s son.Not some commoner girl poached from another kingdom’s academy.Ruby’s arrival in Atlas and appointment had caused a stir among the nobility, to say the least.There are many among them who are waiting for Ruby to make just the right mistake that they _finally_ could consider it reason enough to oust her.

The situation tends to cause Ruby a lot of stress.Not that she’s ever admitted to it anytime Penny has attempted asking.

Here in Vale, away from the prying eyes of Atlesian nobility, Penny noticed, Ruby is more relaxed, carefree.She still takes her duties seriously.She’ll always protect her princess, of that Penny has no doubt, but Ruby goofs off in ways Penny could have never predicted while in her homeland.

It gives her mixed feelings.Penny loves seeing this side of Ruby.She does.It just kind of hurts knowing that when they go home, to _Penny_ ’s home, it won’t be the same.Penny holds back a sigh.

They ride on, silent but the clip-clop of their horses hooves for a few minutes.

Penny sees the first bright green spot in the air.Her breath catches in her throat.The spot disappears quickly, but then another appears.This one drifts over to her.The little bug that caused the bright light lands on Penny’s horse’s mane, crawls around, flashes bright green again, and then takes off.Penny watches it go.

“Are these…?”

“Fireflies?”Ruby finishes for her.“Yup.”She halts her horse, dismounts, and ties her reins loosely to a tree.Then helps Penny do the same.Taking Penny by the hand, Ruby leads her princess to the center of the meadow they’ve come to.All around them fireflies drift around, blinking their lights leisurely.

Penny twirls around in a circle.She can’t take her eyes off the little bugs.Solitas is too cold for anything like them.She holds out her hand.A firefly lands on her index finger.Penny giggles, and turns to show Ruby, who’s grinning dopily back at her.

“I knew you’d love them.”Ruby approaches Penny.

“I love _you_ ,” Penny answers without thinking, and then chokes on her gasp.Oh gods. _Oh gods._ She just admitted—to _Ruby—_ she just _said_ …

Ruby’s silver eyes are as big as saucers, or the moon itself.She stares back at Penny, her face gently illuminated by the fireflies’ lights.Her mouth opens, and then closes, and then opens again, like a fish.

Panic rises in Penny’s gut.She shouldn’t have said _that_.What they have is _special_ , but it’s not allowed, and they shouldn’t—it will be easier to not be hurt when they have to let go if they don’t _admit_ like she just—and oh gods.Oh gods. _Oh gods._

Ruby takes Penny’s hands in her own.She kisses the backs of them.Not in the reverential way reserved for royal and bodyguard, but in the tender way only a suitor is allowed to do for a princess.

“I love you, too,” Ruby breathes.

In that moment, Penny knows Ruby will never let go of her, and she’ll never let go of Ruby.

No matter what.


End file.
